MEMORIAL HONORS MEN WHO DIED IN BENGHAZI

Three with S.D. ties lauded for dedication

Washington paused Friday to remember the brave and bold slain in September’s terrorist attack on a U.S. compound in Libya.

Imperial Beach’s Tyrone Woods was saluted for turning down a University of Oregon wrestling scholarship to join the Navy and attain the elite SEAL status.

Encinitas’ Glen Doherty, who also became a SEAL, was hailed as a person of action and interaction.

San Diego native Sean Smith was lauded for his zest for life, including his passion for the Chargers and his legendary Super Bowl parties.

All three lost their lives along with Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya at the time, in the Sept. 11 assault in the volatile city of Benghazi. The incident continues to generate controversy over denial of requests for additional security at the compound.

“Each one sought out the most difficult assignments,” Secretary of State John Kerry said of the fallen during a 45-minute memorial service. “They understood the risks, and still they raised their hands and they said, ‘Send me.’ ”

His remarks preceded the unveiling of a section of a State Department memorial wall where the names of Woods, Smith, Doherty, Stevens and four other foreign service workers killed elsewhere in the line of duty are etched in marble.

It was a heart-rending remembrance of her son, said Smith’s mother, Patricia Smith of Clairemont, who attended the midmorning event.

“I cried during the whole thing,” she said after the gathering. “It was a beautiful ceremony. I loved it.”

Family members of Woods and Doherty could not be reached Friday.

The security shortcomings at Benghazi, which have resulted in one State Department official resigning and three others being relieved of their duties, were acknowledged Friday by Vice President Joe Biden.

“As we ask more and more of civilians who operate in these tough places, the president, John (Kerry) and everyone in our government know we have a solemn obligation to do more and more to protect them,” Biden said.

He also disclosed that President Barack Obama this week spoke of the need to do more to protect foreign service workers assigned to dangerous posts around the world.

Civilians working for the United States in overseas hot spots often face risks greater than what uniformed troops encounter, Biden said.

“It takes a whole hell of a lot of courage and dedication to do the job,” he said.

Smith, who grew up in San Diego, made his home in The Hague, Netherlands, and worked as an information specialist for the State Department. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.

Kerry said Smith, 34, was a “one-man band” who kept the Benghazi post running.

“He was information management officer, financial management officer, management officer in general,” he said. “And Sean, throughout his career, went places that other people didn’t. He was the first to volunteer for Haiti after the earthquake, the first to volunteer for Japan after the Fukushima disaster. And so of course, he stepped up to serve in Benghazi.”

Woods and Doherty, who had left the Navy by the time they went to Benghazi, worked for the State Department as security contractors.